What to do when in tight corner (1)
By Patrick Enilama [pastorpatrick@sunnewsonline.com]
Sunday, July 1, 2007

When men are spiritually caged and are stranded and confused – not knowing what next to do:
They rear an altar of sacrifice. When you want to move forward and the ground is rough and slippery and you are unable to move to the next level you can rear a sacrifice unto the Lord.
When men face certain plague/ illness or certain death threat from forces of wickedness they could rear an altar of sacrifice. When men face certain stagnation and unfruitfulness; a way out could be an unusual sacrifice to the lord.
An altar of sacrifice is God’s grand design for a dramatic turn around. Every time you hit a deadened and can’t move forward; one option for a way forward is to offer a costly sacrifice to the Lord.
When you want to reposition your business or your ministry and / or to put an end to a lifetime of struggle – you could be led to offer a sacrificial offering to the Lord. Sacrificial offering can turn your captivity in such a dramatic form like a dream. When it happens your mouth will be filled with laughter and your tongue with singing.
Then those who had mocked and laughed at you will praise God with you – saying “The Lord hath done great things for you whereof you are glad.
Turn again your captivity as the stream in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him”. Psm.126:1-6.
Sacrificial offering is not an everyday affair. It is not the Luke 6:38 offering “Give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down and shaken together, running over” kind of offering.
It is a costly offering unto the Lord. You voluntarily and cheerfully give unto God something of great value.

(i) NOAH: Gen 8:20 “And Noah built an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offering on the altar.
And the lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake”.
A sacrificial offering well presented to God can reverse generational curse in a family. It can stay the hand of the enemy in your business, in your family, in your children’s lives etc.

(ii) Abraham: Gen. 22:9, 15-16 “And Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son------------.
“But by myself have I sworn, said the Lord for because thou has done this thing, and hast not withhold thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and thy seed hall possess the gate of his enemies.” A sacrificial offering properly given leads to
(i) Blessing,
(ii) Multiplication of blessing upon one’s children,
(iii) Puts an end to a life time of struggle etc.
(iv) Open Cheque
(iii) KING SOLOMON: I king 3:3-15
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
And the king went to Gideon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
…The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and God said “Ask what I shall give thee” God gave Solomon an open cheque thus making him the wisest and richest man that ever lived.
For your sacrificial offering to be meaningful to God, it must be freely and cheerfully given II Cor. 8:12.
And it must not be a polluted gift to the Lord. It must be a quality gift.
When you freely give your Isaac to the Lord he will give you a dramatic turn around.